Is Peruvian Food the Next Big Thing?

Published on Monday, August 11, 2008, by Kara Zuaro / Edit Post

When Guest of a Guest asked Todd English what “currently turns [him] on about food,” he replied: “I just came back from Peru, where the chefs are doing incredible things. I think Peruvian food is going to be the next big thing.”

Seems like English just said this in passing—he doesn’t share any specific evidence to support his statement—but everybody loves a trend, and now bloggers across America are getting all riled up about it. In response to Grub Street’s post on English’s prediction, one commenter argues that Peruvian dishes like ceviche and Peruvian chicken are old hat and can’t be the next big thing. More interesting new options may be “cui on every table” or “the chifa style of cooking (creole food of Lima–Chinese mix).”

In case you aren’t familiar, cui is a roasted guinea pig dish; and according to A Taste of the World, one of the most famous chifa dishes is lomo saltado, “stir-fried beef with onions and peppers.” Neither dish seems to have enough star power to become “the next big thing,” but Bon Appétit’s Andrew Knowlton thinks that English may have a point. Knowlton lists all his favorite stateside Peruvian restaurants in his new BA Foodist blog and calls out “Peruvian celebrity chef Gaston Acurio”—who is opening his first American restaurant, La Mar Cebicheria Peruana, in San Francisco—as a potential pioneer of this Peruvian culinary movement.

Meanwhile, Peru Food, a blog that may inspire you to catch the next plane to Lima, simply says, “We told you so.”

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POST A COMMENT |6 Comments

COMMENT

  • The latest reports published in many newspapers claim that the Peruvian Cuisine has more than 700 different typical dishes, among andean food, jungle food, desserts, entrees and a lot more... I specially love the Tiradito (made with raw fish, just like ceviche), the Jalea (fried shellfish) and the Anticuchos.

  • Ceviche and lomo saltado will be offered in our Peru Grand Tasting Fall 2008, on Nov 5th. More info: www.flavorsofperu.com.

  • Peruvian food is as good and diverse as any other major cuisine of the world. Lima is referred to the gastronomical capital of the Americas for a reason.

    Ignorance has long thought of Peruvian cuisine as just a Ceviche or Papa a la Huancaina. There is so much more. Blended cuisines from Europe, Africa, Japan and China.

    By far my favorite food of all times.

    La Mar in Lima is a must every time...+READ

    Peruvian food is as good and diverse as any other major cuisine of the world. Lima is referred to the gastronomical capital of the Americas for a reason.

    Ignorance has long thought of Peruvian cuisine as just a Ceviche or Papa a la Huancaina. There is so much more. Blended cuisines from Europe, Africa, Japan and China.

    By far my favorite food of all times.

    La Mar in Lima is a must every time I go back. One of my favorite restaurants in the world, if not MY all time favorite.-COLLAPSE

  • If only English had hopped the Blue Line in Boston, he could have been in Peruvian heaven at Rincon Limeno, which is practically an institution.

  • Where has Todd English been? Peruvian food is so four years ago and San Francisco. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/33010#147039

    Guinea pig aside, Peruvian food is pretty accessible to Americans. After all, lomo saltado is not just stir fried beef with onions and peppers, it's stir fried beef with onions and peppers *served over french fries* -- even your basic middle American meat and...+READ

    Where has Todd English been? Peruvian food is so four years ago and San Francisco. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/33010#147039

    Guinea pig aside, Peruvian food is pretty accessible to Americans. After all, lomo saltado is not just stir fried beef with onions and peppers, it's stir fried beef with onions and peppers *served over french fries* -- even your basic middle American meat and potatoes type could enjoy that.-COLLAPSE

  • Too many carbs. Not likely.